|
Israel, Palestinians Soldier On At Taba Talks Despite Pessimism
TABA, Egypt, Jan 26 (News Agencies) - Israelis and Palestinians soldiered on with peace talks in Egypt on Friday, with Israelis hoping to reach some form of agreement before the February 6th election for prime minister and the Palestinians quietly preparing for something short of a full agreement.
"We are doing our very best to exhaust all possibilities to see if we can have some sort of an agreement," Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami told reporters Friday, after hours of talks between the two sides.
But Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Barak said the talks would break off "at the start of next week," telling public television: "Apparently, we will not be able to resolve anything."
The talks resumed Friday morning in Taba after an unexpected break late Thursday over what Palestinians said were Israeli demands for military positions and open skies for their warplanes in Palestinian areas.
"We are working seriously," Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qorei told reporters. But he later said he doubted a deal could be struck in the coming days.
Israeli negotiator Yossi Sarid, chief of the secular left-wing Meretz party, said: "Time is running out. We know our time limits. I can't promise you a specific result."
"We are doing what we can in order to reach a nice significant agreement," he added. "We will try to reach as much as possible before elections and let's hope that Mr. Barak will be re-elected."
Both negotiating teams have moved since the start of talks Sunday to downplay hopes of an early accord, with the Palestinians speaking of deep gulfs on the core issues of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, borders and Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.
An accord is seen as Barak's only chance to keep hardliner Ariel Sharon from taking his job in 10 days, a result the Palestinians fear would be "bad news" for the peace process.
Palestinian negotiators have suggested any progress achieved in Taba could serve as a basis for future talks. Sharon, however, has said that if elected he would not honor any deals cut by Barak in his final days in office.
"There is no effective progress leading to an agreement or solutions on any issue," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Palestinians' information minister and a negotiator.
"It is possible we won't reach anything before the Israeli elections but this doesn't mean we shouldn't continue our serious research, which is important and necessary in any case," he said.
Several Palestinian negotiators said on condition they not be named that they could accept the publication of a "declaration or communiqué" which would serve as the basis for resuming talks if Barak is re-elected.
The Palestinians have publicly declared they reject anything short of a comprehensive peace settlement.
Palestinian negotiator and international cooperation minister Nabil Shaath told Voice of Palestine radio from Taba there was "progress" on winning compensation for refugees who lost their homes when Israel was created in 1948.
But he said the refugees' right of return was "still being intensively negotiated."
The peace talks have so far failed to reverse Barak's political woes. A poll published Friday by The Jerusalem Post still gave Sharon a 16 percentage-point lead over Barak.
Barak set the stage for the election with his resignation in December after facing a barrage of criticism over his handling of deadly unrest in the region that broke out in February.
Meanwhile Friday, six Palestinians were injured in clashes throughout the West Bank, which erupted between young demonstrators and the Israeli army as Muslims concluded their weekly prayers.
In Hebron, the Israeli army fired rubber bullets at stone-throwers, and the army said four petrol bombs were thrown at soldiers.
Earlier, Jewish settlers had beaten up four Palestinian street vendors before Israeli soldiers intervened, witnesses said.
Palestinian sources also said that an activist in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, 25-year-old Abdel Wahab al-Atrash, was arrested in the Israeli controlled-zone of Hebron.
The Israeli army later announced the arrest of six Palestinians, allegedly members of Arafat's Force-17 bodyguard, on suspicion they killed a number of Israelis over the past months, including right-wing extremist Binyamin Kahane.
More than 380 people have died since the latest Palestinian uprising began in late September, most of them Palestinians killed by Israeli fire.
In Iran, which refuses to recognize Israel and has long opposed the peace process, there was little doubt about the fate of the peace talks in Egypt.
"These talks in - I don't remember where now, Ramallah? - will not result in anything," Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi said in a sermon during weekly prayers carried on state radio, adding the "Palestinian people must decide their own fate."
|
